This place in Yeri's memory has never been bad. This was the place where she spent her youth as a troubled little girl but also loved by her family, at least her brother.

She remembers every single game she played with him, every single food she served him, every single person they talked about in this place.

 

The changes that suddenly happened when she started to see someone who is unfamiliar, someone who chased her and tried to kill her, the existence of him slowly ruined her perception of this place. 

 

Why would that person try to kill her? She made mistakes to lots of people for years..

 

But why is he the only one who showed up? She tried to ask him what is so wrong from her that he is doing this but she received no answer.

 

"He is gone."

 

Yeri walked on a familiar stone road. The place started to get familiar again and her fears slowly vanished with the way this place looked. It is dark but not scary, it is cold but no chilling.

 

One little smile appeared on her face when she finally found peace in this place again. She stopped and sat in one of the benches, closing her eyes, feeling the night breeze and stopped when she could hear footsteps approaching her.

 

That man is here. 

 

She was always running away from him, but right now she feels like she really needs to settle with him and tells him that she wants him gone.

 

She takes a deep breath, clenching her fist and walking to his directions. The man’s eyes are different from before, the flamed hatred and anger are no longer there.

He stopped in front of her without any words, the only thing he did was staring at her and slowly vanished when a strong wind blew them away.

He is no longer here.

 

---

---

****

 

"Unnie?"

 

Bona is totally not expecting a sudden movement from Yeri as soon as she woke up. She's been watching her for two hours because that's what Jungkook told her before he leaves.

 

"What's wrong?" 

 

She brought herself to sit next to her when Yeri started to cry and looked around with total confusion. It must be her nightmare again. She's been dealing with this for a year, and it seems like it is still going on until now.

 

"Where is he?"

 

She gets up from her bed in a rush, that she almost falls while doing that, she gets out of her room and Bona has no choice but to get confused and follow her quickly.

 

"Why is he not here?"

 

She gets worried when Yeri is sitting in her coach and covering her face, crying again. She totally looked like a mess.

 

"Mr. Jeon went home this morning."

 

She must be looking for him, it is so obvious. Yeri is still not responding to her but trying so hard to hold her tears so she takes a seat next to her and patting her back.

 

"He called me to come because he was worried to leave you alone, he said he has something to do back home."

 

She finally lifted her face and wiped her tears abruptly after hearing what she said. This is so pitiful, to see her like this.

 

"He is fine, not hurt or anything."

 

So she said it to her and Yeri seems to appreciate what she said because she nods her head as a response.

 

"Can you find my phone?"

 

Yeri is totally not expecting the dream, her reaction and the panic she experienced. The dream wasn't bad compared to what she's been through, it's just the way Jungkook was gone and vanished from it making her completely lost.

What's the meaning of that dream? Why doesn't she get hurt when he's gone on her dream but her heart is torn into pieces when she wakes up?

 

"Here."

 

Bona is back with her phone, she called Jungkook immediately because the only thing she needs right now is to hear his voice. He is not picking up her call for the first time and she desperately tried it again.

 

"You woke up early."

 

Yeri can not even explain how many reliefs she received when Jungkook finally picked up the phone and talked to her. He sounds fine just like how Bona told her.

 

"Why did you leave?"

 

She's able to hide her soar voice as she doesn't want him to know what kind of mess she encountered earlier.

 

"I need to prepare for a meeting, I forgot about it yesterday."

 

"Really?"

 

Yeri is taking a deep breath because it seems like everything is normal for Jungkook, it is good.

 

"Do you want me to come over again?"

 

"No, it's ok.. I can not just bother you and call you over everyday, you have your own life too, we talked about it."

 

"Alright then."

 

Yeri sounds cheerful in the end when she tells Jungkook to eat a lot and take care before ending the phone call.

 

***

 

"She had that dream too."

 

It is not hard for Jungkook to know that the dream he just experienced still happened simultaneously between them, the way Yeri's talk, he knows she was having a hard time because of it.

 

"Why won't it stop?"

 

And it is even worse for him, the fact that he is still a killer in that dream, no matter how much they tried to fix things in their real world is ridiculous. 

 

What if it won't stop until forever?

Will Yeri still be fine to have him around? Will she still let him love her like right now? Even when he hurted her again and again without knowing how to stop?

What if he lost her because of it?

 

There are so many things bothering him and he doesn't know how to handle it.

 

---

---

 

 

Mrs. Kim is surprised when she receives a call from Yeri who tells her that doesn't feel too good to stay at home alone and is willing to stay with her for lunch.

 

"How was your dinner?"

 

"It was good, how about you?"

 

Yeri doesn't seem too excited or happy talking about Mrs. Kim's anniversary dinner, she is asking because she has no reason to come here and ended up making up a story about wanting to know what happened last night.

 

"It was fine."

 

"Did you eat anything?"

 

"Jungkook Oppa cooked for me, last night."

 

Right. Jungkook was with Yeri, it was good news for her, but Yeri is not telling her in a positive way, she looked so gloomy talking about this.

 

"You are no longer avoiding him?"

 

"I told him what I wanted, and he agreed."

 

"That's good then."

 

"I don't know."

 

Yeri is sighing and giving her a smile while taking a seat in front of her with her head down.

 

"What do you mean you don't know? You sound determined when you told us about it, you wanted Jungkook to have his own life."

 

"I know what i said."

 

"Then?"

 

"Nothing."

 

Telling her mother about her dream, all those nightmares and the way Jungkook showed up inside it is totally not a good choice. She doesn't know how to explain, and also her mom would totally freak out if she heard how she was chased and killed on her dream back then.

 

"You will be fine. Both of you need to deal with your past slowly, don't rush it."

 

She nods her head and tries to show her mom a cheerful expression for the rest of the afternoon so she won't get worried too much and forces her back to live here. And it actually worked, she spent time with her talking about her dinner last night and also about her brother.

The things that were never talked about for years. It was good, especially after she watched her old videos last night, it does feel like she gained something back.

 

"Your dad won't be here before midnight, he has lots of work."

 

Yeri was planning to wait for her dad and spend some time with him before coming back home, but hearing his busy schedules totally made her lose interest. Jungkook also didn't call her or anything. So typical coming from people like them.

 

"I'll just go home then."

 

"Do you want me to drive you?"

 

"No, i'll be fine. It's barely 8PM anyway."

 

She said goodbye to her mom and left.

 

***

 

Jungkook is throwing his gaze to an empty, long road that is so familiar but also unfamiliar at the same time. He was here before, with Yeri, a  year ago when they tried to find what was wrong from them for having a ridiculous unexplained nightmare.

This place is still the same, the way it looked like and the way it scares him.

 

Yeri told him that people used to come here, but no one else is here right now, maybe because it is night time and coming here on a cold day is totally something most people wouldn't do.

 

He looked around, trying to remember if this place means anything to him.. but the answer is still the same, he has no business with this place whatsoever.

 

He stopped at the end of the road, taking a deep breath and sitting on one of the benches, closing his eyes and trying so hard to forget all things he did on those nightmares.

But he failed, he only remembers it even more.

 

"You had that dream too."

 

Yeri's voice sounds like his imagination so he ignores it the first time, but when she takes a seat next to him, he finally realized that she is here for real.

 

"Why are you here?"

 

Yeri glanced at Jungkook when he asked her without looking at her, his eyes wandering to a wide park in front of them. It was dark, but all the dim lights made it a pretty sight.

 

"Why didn't you tell me that you're having the dream too?"

 

She asked because it is obvious that he was hiding it from her, perfectly. She thought she was the only one who was still seeing him in her dream. She received no answer and she actually expected it, she was also not saying anything to him about that dream, afraid if Jungkook would feel guilty about something that isn't under his control.

 

"I don't know how to tell you."

 

But when he talked to her after a long silence, with a simple forced smile, she realized that it will be better if she knows so she can be the one who told him that it is not his fault.

 

"You could always say that one thing you always told me, telling me it is not real, telling me that everything is going to be ok."

 

She honestly doesn't know how to talk it out with him so the only thing she does is reaching for his hands, holding it and looking at him from the side.

 

"I don't think this will stop."

 

He pulls his hands from her and sighs before getting up from where he sits.

 

"The first time, I was here with you. I get so scared, I even told Jay and Bona to get ready to pick my call right away, just in case that you..are a real killer."

 

Yeri finally gets up and stands next to him while laughing, she tightens her jacket because the weather is getting colder each minute.

 

"If you're thinking that this morning I woke up while crying and getting scared, it was all true. I was a total mess."

 

He's glancing at Yeri because it seems that she is aware why he feels so down about this. And to hear his expectation proven to be true also makes him even more hopeless.

 

"But it wasn't because of that dream."

 

She gives him a smile while asking for his hands. He’s glancing at her because what she just said totally sounds fake, but when she’s pouting her lips and asking for his hands once again, he knows that she wasn’t lying.

 

“What was it, then?”

 

"Because you were not there when i woke up."

 

She takes him for a walk, talking without looking at him but the road in front of her instead, that one road where he tried to kill her for multiple times.

"Someone who told me that the you in my dream is not real, to hug me and cry with me, because we were so lost over what is happening.."

 

Yeri stopped from her walk when Jungkook was not walking along with her after he heard what she just said. She gives him a smile when he looks so confused and doubting her words.

 

"Even if you showed up on my nightmare for a thousand times more, but I got to see you when I woke up from that.. i think i will be able to live my life just fine."

 

"I appreciate what you said, but i am not that desperate to trust you. It's been going on for a long time and I know how I ruined you."

 

Yeri was sighing and lost her smile right away when Jungkook talked while chuckling, letting go of her hands and starting to walk first, leaving her.

 

"I was happy!"

 

He stopped when she screamed in his direction, telling him that she was happy with the dream she had.

 

"When you disappeared in my dream. I was happy, I feel like the crazy killer who chased me is done with me and vanished for good. I wasn't scared."

 

Her voice is low, and she stutters her words because how could she tell Jungkook that she was happy, he disappeared. Even though it wasn't real.

 

Jungkook is looking back at her and smiling while looking down. It was a fake smile obviously.

 

"That is so much more makes sense."

 

What he said is completely making her heart hurt. The fact that he thought it made sense.

 

"No it isn't."

 

Yeri is crying, and seeing her like that, on this road, with the surrounding that is so familiar for him is completely draining Jungkook’s emotions, it makes him tired and completely defeated by those nightmares.

 

He even hesitates to come closer to Yeri to calm her down because he is worried she'll remember what he did to her, the bad things he did as her killer.. he does nothing but staring at her, feeling guilty. 

 

"Are you going to just stand there and watch me cry?"

 

And when she talked again to him, with more tears, he became totally confused. 

 

"Aren't you supposed to take care of me?"

 

"What do you want?"

 

She takes a deep breath, staring at him after trying so hard to stop her tears and takes one step closer to him.

 

"Give me a hug, stop my tears, let me fix things for you.."

 

The way she said it completely ruined him, he sees himself as someone who is so pitiful. For putting the woman he loves in this situation.

 

"At least give me your coat! I'm freezing!"

 

Yeri is becoming frustrated and even sadder when Jungkook is still not responding to her, so that's why she screamed like a mad man to him.

 

She takes a deep breath when he finally walks toward her while taking off his coat. He put it around her tiny body with a little smile.

 

"My coat."

 

And continues with putting his arms on her waist and takes her to his embrace very carefully while looking at her eyes.

 

"A hug."

 

His voice is so soft but also nervous. Which she can understand why 

 

"Don't cry, please."

 

And the next thing he does is wipe her tears with his hand, while telling her to not cry.

 

"How are you going to fix this?"

 

He talks while cupping her face with his cold hands, fixing her hair and back to holding her by her waist. It is warm, Jungkook.

 

"I can't control what I felt about you in that dream, but I could do it when I woke up.. and when i could, the only thing i felt was pain, because i thought you were gone, just like how you did in my nightmare."

 

He seems to take what she says slowly, and says nothing to her as a response.

 

"I rather get hurt in my dream again and again, instead of getting hurt in my reality because you are not part of it."

 

"I don't want you to get hurt in both."

 

"But what if we were only allowed to choose one thing? And I know you also get hurt, even worse than me because of those nightmares, let me be there for you, to tell you that none of those are real.. hmm?"

 

Yeri is completely lost at words, she doesn't know what to say anymore and the only thing left for her is to beg. Just like how she did it to him in those dreams, the difference is, she was begging him to leave her alone while right now, she is begging him to stay, to never leave her side.

 

"Are you sure you are going to be ok?"

 

"I'll tell you when things get hard. I promise."

 

She pulls herself away from him and offers her hands to him so he can shake it and take her promise as it is. She knows she is not really trustable but she will try to be honest as much as she could regarding it, because no matter how much she tries to hide her pain from Jungkook, he will just know it, at the end. He will always find a way.

 

He's looking around before taking her hand and shakes it lightly, he is not letting go of her but pulls her back to his arms and steals one kiss from her. There is a slight surprise resulting from that kiss, the fact that this is a place where he chased her and tried to kill her in the nightmare and now he is also here, kissing her. Makes her realize how she can feel the reality better. The kiss feels so much more real than anything else she ever felt in this place.

 

That's why she refused to let him go when he tried to. She can see a smirk on his face when she is the one who's kissing him now, without worrying about her surroundings.

 

"I'll take it back."

 

Jungkook knows how Yeri is trying so hard to stop herself from giving him more than just an intense kiss when she pulls her face from him abruptly and pacing her breathing carefully. She said something weird too.

 

"Take what back?"

 

Her lipstick is smeared a little so he cleaned it up with his thumb while caressing her cheeks lightly.

 

"Whatever I said about living with you. I wanted it now."

 

"You do?"

 

"I was a total mess this morning. I don't think i could afford a day like that anymore."

 

She talks fast and he finds her hilarious,cute, funny but also he feels a little bit guilty to make her act like this, she said she wanted a life of her own but it does look like their circumstances making it hard to proceed with that. She's having a hard time and he does feel the same too.

 

"We'll talk about it, later."

 

He gives her a quick peck and holds her hand to drag her away from the park so they could leave. She doesn't seem to be fond of that idea because she forced him to stop.

 

"We can just buy a place near your office, and.."

 

"If you asked me this a month ago, i'll probably done it right away immediately after you told me too"

 

He turns his face to Yeri and she just stands there biting her lips and seconds later, covering her face.

 

"I know. I am not supposed to depend on you as much.."

 

"I saw you yesterday, you are determined to get better with your own effort, i'll talk to your parents and your doctor asking them if it is ok or not for you to live with me.."

 

Yeri is totally feels like a moron for behaving like this. She is completely like a kid who doesn't even know what's best for her life. Maybe because she already used to depend on others to make decisions for her, because every single one she ever made by her own always ended up as tragedy or a chaos.

 

"I don't know."

 

So that's what she had on her mind. She doesn't know anything anymore.

 

"Believe me, I really wanted to have you, seeing you every morning, day and night, hearing your laugh or your bag.. being able to hold you when i started my day and when i ended it. That would be such an ideal life for me.. but.."

 

"I am a mess."

 

"We are both a mess. I was afraid that I'll hurt you and you ended up hating me."

 

Jungkook is right. They have their moments where they want to stay away from each other so much because they are afraid of being overboard and end up hurting each other, with or without intentions.

 

"Me too."

 

"I can stay tonight though. I'm supposed to do something this morning anyway.."

 

From the way he talked Yeri already knows what he meant. She always loved this side of him, the playful, not so serious Jungkook. It feels like she is the only one who knows this side of him and she is beyond grateful that he is willing to show her that.

 

"Right. Should i just stay with my parents tonight if you're busy?"

 

"I can only be busy if you're with me though?"

 

Yeri is stoked with the way he talked about it very lightly, so she hit his back and told him to walk faster so they could leave. He laughed at her and he does walk faster than her right now, he is walking with his hands on his pocket in front of her. His silhouette in this road, his broad back, his hair and the way he walks. It's so familiar

 

She stopped and watched him while looking around. She close her eyes trying to remember everything he ever did to her on this place, she is still able to recall everything and she can still feels the fears... but when she opens her eyes and she finds him with his wide smile, waving his hands to her and telling her to walk faster, like he is coaching her for a sprint competition. She knows that reality is the most important, the fears replaced by happiness right away. 

 

Knowing that she went through a lot before she finally had a little light on her dark life is making the happiness even bigger. She deserved this and she will continue to live to make the best out of it.

 

---

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----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------THE END--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING THIS STORY <333